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• Low-key departure as pope steps down and hides away
• Excerpts from Pope Benedict's final address
• Chicago Catholic Archdiocese cuts jobs, closes schools
• Pope legacy: Teacher who returned to church roots
• Pope recalls 'joy,' difficulties in final audience
• Ohio court spars with lawyers in school Bible case
• Israel wields Bible's soft power as far afield as Brazil
• Pope speaks of "rough seas" of papacy at emotional farewell
• Pope recalls moments of 'joy and light' - but also difficulties in emotional final audience
• Here's How You Send Off the First Retiring Pope in 600 Years
• Pope recalls 'joy' of papacy, and difficulties
• Pope in final audience thanks crowds, colleagues for respecting his decision to resign
• Pope during final audience recalls 'joy and light' during papacy, but also difficult times
• Thousands jam St. Peter's for pope's last audience
• Pope greets pilgrims in St. Peter's for final time
• Pope greets masses in St. Peter's Square for final time before retiring
• Ciao: Tens of thousands jam St. Peter's Square to bid farewell to pope at final master class
• Ohio court hearing arguments in school Bible case
• Pope presides over final general audience

Low-key departure as pope steps down and hides away Posted: 27 Feb 2013 04:18 PM PST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict slips quietly from the world stage on Thursday after a private last goodbye to his cardinals and a short flight to a country palace to enter the final phase of his life "hidden from the world". In keeping with his shy and modest ways, there will be no public ceremony to mark the first papal resignation in six centuries and no solemn declaration ending his nearly eight-year reign at the head of the world's largest church. ...

Excerpts from Pope Benedict's final address Posted: 27 Feb 2013 04:17 PM PST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict bid an emotional farewell at his last general audience on Wednesday, acknowledging the "rough seas" that marked his papacy "when it seemed that the Lord was sleeping". Here are excerpts from his last address as pope to more than 150,000 people in St Peter's Square translated by Reuters from Italian: "I feel I am carrying all of you with me in prayer ... gathering together every meeting, every trip, every pastoral visit. ...

Chicago Catholic Archdiocese cuts jobs, closes schools Posted: 27 Feb 2013 03:31 PM PST CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago announced on Wednesday that it had suffered setbacks during the economic downturn and would cut about 14 percent of jobs in its central offices, as well as close or consolidate 5 schools. Chicago Cardinal Francis George wrote about the cuts in a column on the archdiocesan website -- he has gone to Rome for the conclave to choose the next pope to replace Pope Benedict XVI, who gave his last general audience Wednesday. The Chicago Archdiocese is the third-largest in the country, with 2.3 million members. ...

Pope legacy: Teacher who returned to church roots Posted: 27 Feb 2013 02:55 PM PST VATICAN CITY (AP) — On Monday, April 4, 2005, a priest walked up to the Renaissance palazzo housing the Vatican's doctrine department and asked the doorman to call the official in charge: It was the first day of business after Pope John Paul II had died, and the cleric wanted to get back to work.

Pope recalls 'joy,' difficulties in final audience Posted: 27 Feb 2013 02:40 PM PST VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI bid an emotional farewell Wednesday on the eve of his retirement, recalling moments of "joy and light" during his papacy, but also times of difficulty when "it seemed like the Lord was sleeping."

Ohio court spars with lawyers in school Bible case Posted: 27 Feb 2013 02:32 PM PST COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — State Supreme Court justices sparred with lawyers on Wednesday in a heated hour of arguments over the extent to which a now-fired public school science teacher had the right to push his religious beliefs in class.

Israel wields Bible's soft power as far afield as Brazil Posted: 27 Feb 2013 12:04 PM PST On a crisp winter morning in Jerusalem, a group of American Christian leaders with Bibles under their arms walk the hilltop where many believe King David first established the Jewish capital some 3,000 years ago.

Pope speaks of "rough seas" of papacy at emotional farewell Posted: 27 Feb 2013 06:51 AM PST VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict bid an emotional farewell at his last general audience on Wednesday, acknowledging the "rough seas" that marked his papacy "when it seemed that the Lord was sleeping." In an unusually public outpouring for such a private man, he alluded to some of the most difficult times of his papacy, which was dogged by sex abuse scandals, leaks of his private papers and reports of infighting among his closest aides. ...

Pope recalls moments of 'joy and light' - but also difficulties in emotional final audience Posted: 27 Feb 2013 04:36 AM PST VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI basked in an emotional sendoff Wednesday from a massive crowd at his final general audience in St. Peter's Square, recalling moments of "joy and light" during his papacy but also times of difficulty when "it seemed like the Lord was sleeping."

Here's How You Send Off the First Retiring Pope in 600 Years Posted: 27 Feb 2013 04:36 AM PST No one is entirely sure what a final general audience for a retiring pope is supposed to be like. Somber? Solemn? That weird mix of happy and sad you get when its your favorite co-worker's last day? Since it's been almost 600 years since a living pope quit his job, those gathered in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday got to write their own rules on how to see off a retiring pope, and it actually looks like a lot of fun.

Pope recalls 'joy' of papacy, and difficulties Posted: 27 Feb 2013 04:24 AM PST VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI basked in an emotional sendoff Wednesday from a massive crowd at his final general audience in St. Peter's Square, recalling moments of "joy and light" during his papacy but also times of difficulty when "it seemed like the Lord was sleeping."

Pope in final audience thanks crowds, colleagues for respecting his decision to resign Posted: 27 Feb 2013 02:23 AM PST VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope in final audience thanks crowds, colleagues for respecting his decision to resign.

Pope during final audience recalls 'joy and light' during papacy, but also difficult times Posted: 27 Feb 2013 02:09 AM PST Pope during final audience recalls 'joy and light' during papacy, but also difficult times.

Thousands jam St. Peter's for pope's last audience Posted: 27 Feb 2013 02:05 AM PST VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI greeted the Catholic masses in St. Peter's Square Wednesday for the last time before retiring, making several rounds of the square as crowds cheered wildly and stopping to kiss a half-dozen children brought up to him by his secretary.

Pope greets pilgrims in St. Peter's for final time Posted: 27 Feb 2013 01:47 AM PST VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI is greeting pilgrims in St. Peter's Square for the final time before retiring, waving to tens of thousands of people who have gathered to bid him farewell.

Pope greets masses in St. Peter's Square for final time before retiring Posted: 27 Feb 2013 01:41 AM PST Pope greets masses in St. Peter's Square for final time before retiring.

Ciao: Tens of thousands jam St. Peter's Square to bid farewell to pope at final master class Posted: 27 Feb 2013 12:43 AM PST VATICAN CITY - Tens of thousands of people have flooded St. Peter's Square to bid farewell to Pope Benedict XVI at his final general audience, the weekly appointment he kept to teach the world about the Catholic faith.

Ohio court hearing arguments in school Bible case Posted: 27 Feb 2013 12:27 AM PST COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Attorneys for a fired public school science teacher who kept a Bible on his desk plan to argue before the Ohio Supreme Court that the teacher's dismissal was unconstitutional.

Pope presides over final general audience Posted: 26 Feb 2013 11:06 PM PST VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI is preparing for his final general audience, the weekly appointment he kept with the faithful and tourists to teach them about the Catholic faith.

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